


Out of Place

by polaris_86



Category: Iron Man (Movies), X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Crossover, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-08
Updated: 2011-09-08
Packaged: 2017-10-23 13:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/250795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/polaris_86/pseuds/polaris_86
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark is interested in Charles. Erik is not amused...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of Place

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my great beta Abbi!

Tony Stark always gets what he wants. This should be no secret. In fact, it should be widely known.

And therefore it was even more unnerving that the guy in the black turtleneck didn't have the decency to leave him and the object, or, better, the person Tony wanted, alone.

Charles Xavier had given a fascinating presentation about mutations. Tony had been bored the whole evening. It had been a particularly dull science conference so far. All the lame speeches and presentations from people who thought they were wise but actually had no idea what they were talking about. Most of them were elderly men with bald heads and ridiculous glasses. Old farts. And then Xavier had taken to the podium.

He was no stranger to Tony. They had met once, a few years ago, when Tony was giving a guest speech at Oxford. Xavier had asked some thoughtful questions about the new energy sources Stark Industries were developing. Questions which Tony had thought about for a while afterwards. But, back then, Tony had had so many things on his mind that he hadn’t really noticed how attractive the young man was. And now Xavier was a professor, and a very respectable and surprisingly cute professor at that.

Tony wanted him. And what Tony wanted, Tony got. If only they could have been alone for a moment. He would have used his charm, his humor, to win over the heart of this guy in an instant. Pepper surely wouldn't mind if he brought a playfellow with manners for once. She was usually very annoyed about the girls he brought home and always made a fuss about how they didn't know how to behave in someone else's house. His house, to be precise. But Pepper was a part of his life and it was also her house, somehow. Pepper would like the professor, Tony was certain.

But there was a problem. A tall problem in black trousers and a turtleneck. Who would wear a turtleneck to a science conference? Okay, many people would. But still, Tony was certain that this guy did not belong here. He definitely seemed out of place.

“Are you Professor Xavier's assistant?” he asked, nonchalantly.

Xavier raised an eyebrow.

“Rather his bodyguard,” the man answered. They shook hands and Tony realized that the man had a surprisingly strong handshake. But Tony was well trained, too, and never afraid to take part in a trial of strength.

“Uhm...” Xavier seemed rather confused by the fact that his and that guy's hands were still locked. “That’s Erik Lehnsherr. We’re business partners”, he explained.

They broke the handshake simultaneously and locked eyes instead. “Business partner. I see.”

“Business partner and good friend,” Erik corrected him. “And who are you?”

Tony's expression was one of sheer disbelief. Even Charles seemed a bit shocked that Erik obviously had no idea who he was talking to.

“Erik, that's Tony Stark. He's the inventor of the Iron Man suit, head of Stark Industries, a very successful company mainly known for the production of weapons and...“

“We used to produce weapons. We don't do that anymore.”

“Of course.”

There was an awkward moment of silence between the three of them. Then Charles cut through it by asking something about the new element Tony had discovered a few weeks ago. Tony gladly took the opportunity to talk in a way he was certain the other guy, _Erik Lehnsherr_ , wouldn't understand, using as much scientific terminology as possible.

“Is the iron man suit made of metal?” Erik interrupted them, and Tony bit back a cynical comment about manners.

“It's mainly made of titanium. But there are also other materials involved. It's complicated. I don't want to bore your friend with the details...” he said to Charles, with a smirk, but Erik wasn't done yet.

“And you use it to do what exactly?”

“Well, to fight crime.”

“Oh, so you get in the suit and fight gangsters?”

This guy must be retarded. Tony was losing his patience with him.

“Yes. Yes, I do that. The press likes to call me a superhero. But I would never call myself...”

“What if your opponent had the power to control metal?”

Charles looked alarmed, but Tony just laughed. “If I ever meet someone like that, I'll let you know. But I doubt that that’s even possible. It's just as obscure as believing in people who can fly, or look into the future or read thoughts. Ridiculous. You don't believe in such stuff, do you?”

“Didn't you listen to Charles' presentation?”

“I did, and it was fascinating. But it was certainly hypothetical. Maybe in 1000 years, who knows…”

“That's all I needed to know. I think we should go Charles.”

“Maybe you're right.” _Have a good evening, Mr Stark. It was a pleasure to have met you again._

“Thanks, but I was hoping... wait! How did you...?”

But the two men were already gone, and someone had placed a hand on Tony's arm. He turned around and faced Pepper, resplendent in a white dress.

“I think I just made a fool of myself,” he said thoughtfully.

“This feeling must be new to you, I guess.” She smirked at him, but he decided to ignore the irony.

“Let's go. I've had enough for one evening.”

Pepper nodded and they both went to the cloakroom to get Tony's jacket and Pepper's camel hair coat.

“Pepper, I think I might need to invest some money into facilities concerned with genetics. It seems to be a rather fascinating subject.”

He helped her into her coat and they stepped out of the building, into the cool night.

“Why not? Genetics are important. Uhm, Tony...”

“Yes?”

“Isn't that your car?”

Tony's Audi had been parked on the VIP parking lot in front of the building. Unfortunately, it hardly looked like a car anymore. The sides were crumpled, the windshield burst. It looked like a horrible mess. When Tony stepped closer, he saw a tiny piece of paper attached to the twisted wipers.

It read “I’m very sorry, my friend. My business partner does not have perfect control over his powers yet. Please contact me and tell me what the repairs will cost you. XXX – Charles Xavier.”

Tony just smirked.


End file.
